


What’s the point

by Nearlywitchesandhunters



Category: TAZ - Fandom, The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: I mean taakitz but kravitz is gone, Idk y’all is anyone gonna read this?, It’s my first time writing so ya, I’m just posting so my friends can read, au where they dont win against the hunger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-16 03:36:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16077542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nearlywitchesandhunters/pseuds/Nearlywitchesandhunters
Summary: They flee, the hunger consumes faerun, and taako is having a no good, very bad, time





	What’s the point

**Author's Note:**

> This is 100% very unedited and it’s my first time writing so idk. I wrote this to make me and others sad >:3c

They lose against the hunger. They decide to flee and take off on the Starblaster. They end up in a new reality, trying to be ready to start fresh but it’s hard. Of course everyone hurts and the mourn the loss of they’re close friends and family, but they have each other. Only they don’t. it’s not the same. the trust is broken and they don’t mesh like they used to. Everyone they’ve met, Merle’s children, magnus’ friends and family, his wife, they’re all gone. But taako takes it the hardest. No one can quite figure out why. Out of everyone he seems the least attached (barring lup for obvious reasons) but when they ask his what’s wrong he clams up. Shuts everyone out entirely. He stops talking as much. He quits cooking altogether and is only ever seen when it’s absolutely necessary. Not even lup can get him to talk and that’s when they realize that this is so much worse for him than they thought. And they can’t think of anything they can do to help him, so they don’t. They’re still there for him, of course, but not in the way he really needs. Eventually he starts coming out more, just as full of his usual taako brand of energy as ever but somethings different. He seems more tense, more guarded, he uses more vocatives. Everyone is wary but happy that he seems to be getting better! Even if he isn’t back to his usual self it’s an improvement on compleat and total isolation! 

Taako becomes reckless. Over the best few cycles he had less regard for weather he lives or dies, rushing headfirst into dangerous situations when he really doesn’t need to. Taking needless risks. Lup caugh him once in the kitchen staring a little to intensely at a kitchen knife. As soon as she made her presence known he whipped around talking about how it was too dull, making a joke about how he can’t trust anyone to take care of nice things. Last cycle he started cooking again but he still wouldn’t share the food he made with anyone else. 

This behavior persisted. Even if they didn’t know what was wrong, it was clear that something was. The crew decided to keep a closer eye on taako. They started accompanying him every time he went out. They would check on him periodically. Lup noticed a small collection of books in a growing pile by his bed. All of them to do with death or necromancy or liches. This only caused more worry. 

Cycle after cycle this went on. The crew getting more nervous for taakos safety. His death count had already gone up at too many times for it to be coincidence or accidental. Tensions continued to grow until one fateful cycle. They had landed on a planet similar to faerun with a similar population. They land by a simple town, small but Lively. The crew decides to explore the town and drags taako along despite his protests. They don’t want to leave him alone for that long. Halfway through the day taako seems to be enjoying himself, but if you look closely you can see the way his left hand tremors. They decide to ignore it, knowing that taako will denie it if they bring it up. But about a half hour later something happens that they can’t ignore. 

Taako stops dead in his tracks, Eyes glued to one spot. He’s looking at a being, with a dark complexion, his dreadlocks tied into a bun on the back of his head. He was fit and looks to be a few inches taller than taako and wore a black suit. Everyone was confused for a moment before the man turned towards the group, offering a friendly smile as he waved at them. He bore a very striking resemblance to kravitz. 

Taako fell to the ground like his legs stoped working entirely. And maybe they had. Tears were streaming down his face and the only sound he made was a choked sob as he tried to take a breath that his body wouldn’t allow him. The last thing they saw before taako cast blink was his face twisted into unfathomable pain. Magnus recognized it. It was the same pain he’d felt the first time he saw Someone flipped their long auburn hair the same way Julia had. Everything finally clicked into place as he realized what taako much be going through. Magnus reached out for him but taako was already gone. 

They headed back to the ship as fast as they could, filling each other in on everything they knew trying to piece it all together and catch each other up. When the arrived they hear the chaos. Crashing, breaking, spells being cast wildly, screams ripping thought the cacophony of destruction. Lup setups forward, set to charge in and stop taako from hurting himself anymore than he already has, when a large hand falls on her shoulder, stopping her. 

“I’m coming with you.” Magnus day, voice steady. It’s more of a statement than a question but lup still shakes her head, trying to wave him away.

“Thanks mags, but I know my brother and I’ve got this.” She starts to move forward again but she’s pulled back by Magnus.

“Lup. I know your worried about him, we all are, but I know what he’s going through better than anyone. I’m coming with.”

Lup looked contemplative for a second, seeming to mull over the the options. She looks up at him and places a hand on his shoulder, mirroring his guesture. 

“Okay”

They make their way to Taako’s room. The crashing and defining sound of destruction gave way to violent sobbing as the reached the door. He must have run out of spell slots. Lup opened the door and dogged a book flying at her head like she had been expecting it. Magnus followed behind her as they entered the room. It was destroyed. Clothes torn to bits or burning, the dresser had been knocked over. All of taako’s belonging were thrown about the room, most of them broken. Taako sat tucked in a corner snaking only barely able to suppress his sobs as they entered. Lup rant I him and he flinched at the sudden movement. He didn’t seem to notice Magnus right away so he stood to the side assessing how to go about the situation. As Lup went to wrap taako in what was probably something between a comforting embrace and a restraint to stop him from doing anymore damage, taako pushed at her and scrambled away clearly not wanting to be touched. As he move away from Lup, he backed right into Magnus. He whipped around, panic and hurt and pain written all over his tear stained face, and he went to make a break for the door. Magnus quickly sidestepped and blocked the exit, giving taako a stern but worried look. 

“Taako, you can’t keep running from this. You need to tell us what’s wrong. We’re worried about you. please, taako” 

Taako looked a little taken aback at that. Like he haven’t considered that they would be worried about him. After this slight pause he started sobbing harder. He fell to the ground again and curled into himself as if he would disappear if he got small enough. He looks pathetic. 

Pathetic wasn’t in the top 100 words that Magnus would use to describe taako but that’s the only word that came to mind seeing the elf curled into himself crying to hard he might puncture a lung. 

Lup moved to sit near him carful not to touch him and Magnus made to sit in the same way in Taako’s other side. They sat there until he was only crying softly, too exhausted to sob anymore. 

“Taako..” lup spoke soft and carefully, trying to hide the overwhelming worry and concern in her voice. “Is this about the man we saw in town?” 

“I-I thought it was him.. I thought it was kravitz. I thought for a second we were back on faerun and he was there and- and- and he looked just like him. He can’t be gone, he can’t be. He has to still be here because what’s the fucking point of all this stupid hunger bullshit if I can’t even save the love of my life!” His voice got progressively louder until he was yelling,  
“ITS POINTLESS! THERES NO POINT IN TRYING! I COULDN’T SAVE HIM! I COULDN’T SAVE ANGUS! I COULDN’T SAVE ANY OF THEM!!” He stoped yelling abruptly, the tears that had been streaming dried up and he just looked exhausted, “ I’m done. I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t care anymore.” 

Lup reached a hand out to touch Taako’s shoulder but thought better if it and retracted it. “ Taako, dont say that we-“  
She was cut off by Magnus craving her hand and giving her and intense look. An understanding passes between them and she nodded.

“I understand,” Magnus started. Taako become indignant and started to snap  
“How could you possibly- ” but Magnus pushes on

“When I lost Julia, I felt like the world had ended. I thought there was no point in fighting if I couldn’t save the one person I cared about most. Why bother right? But there’s no point. But that’s wrong. You can save other people from going through the same pain you did. We can stop this. I know it and maybe we can get them back. But in the mean time we have to fight. Even if it’s hard. Even if there doesn’t seem to be any point. We have to try.”

“Nice pep talk and all, but save it for someone who cares. Like I said I’m done.” Watching taako sit so still, looking so utterly defeated sucked. He looked so unlike himself. So small. 

“Taako, we have to do right by them.”  
Taako looked at at Magnus is only to give him what was probably supposed to be a dirty look but it fell as soon as he saw how sincere Magnus was. Taako looks down again. 

“They would want us to keep fighting. You know they would. Because they never stoped. They never gave up and they wouldn’t want you to either. You know that.” 

It was silent for a long time. Lup decided to risk reaching out to lay a comforting hand on Taako’s back. As soon as he felt it he collapsed into her and she held him as he started crying again. Only this time it was softer, quieter. Magnus moved closer and and moved one strong hand to rest on Taako’s back alongside Lups. After what felt like for ever, taako finally calmed down. His breath evened and even though he was still in pain and hurt and butterfly broken from this, he looked at Magnus. And with a newfound conviction in his voice her said one word.

“Okay”


End file.
